Monterey County Friday Night Live Youth Flip the Script on Underage Drinking

Local youth work to reduce underage drinking in Monterey County by exposing the truth about alcohol use.
Salinas, CA Young people with Monterey County Friday Night Live (FNL) Prevention Youth Council (PYC) are
working on a year-long social norms campaign that seeks to tackle the issue of underage drinking by promoting
a positive narrative around not using alcohol before age 21.

In society, perceptions of youth attitudes and behaviors significantly influence a young person’s attitudes and
behaviors. Unfortunately, these perceptions are often inaccurate. In general, society tends to over-estimate the
number of youth who value and make unhealthy choices and under-estimate the number who value and make
healthy choices. Social norms campaigns can be effective in communities and settings where most people
believe that young people are drinking alcohol when in reality, they are not. Using data to build a
comprehensive marketing campaign, Prevention Youth Council FNL is working to change that belief and reveal
the truth that underage drinking is a significant risk to youth.

Monterey County FNL youth are developing youth-targeted posters, adult-targeted educational materials, and a
public service announcement to change the community’s misperceptions and promote positive norms that
support young people’s healthy choices.

This campaign is part of a larger statewide effort to reduce underage drinking; thirty-five FNL Chapters are
working to change social norms in communities across California.

About Friday Night Live
Friday Night Live, a California program started in 1984, is a youth development program that promotes healthy
lifestyles free of alcohol, tobacco, or other substance use among youth. Friday Night Live builds partnerships for
positive and healthy youth development, which engage youth as active leaders and resources in their
community. For more information about the Friday Night Live, visit fridaynightlive.tcoe.org.

Funding for this program was provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety through the
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.